1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of electrical power supplies, and more specifically relates to a solid-state, extremely high efficiency inverter that permits a device that operates on a first DC voltage to be powered by a DC source providing a second voltage.
2. The Prior Art
The present invention is an electronic device that is connected between, for example, a computer that requires 144 volts DC, and a battery that produces 12 volts DC. Since it adapts the battery voltage to a different level, the present invention is commonly called a battery adapter.
Known devices for accomplishing this task have suffered from one or more defects of the type now to be discussed.
In one type of battery adapter, a relatively large amount of preloading is required, and the power dissipated in the preloading resistor is typically 10% of the total output capacity of the device. This dissipation is independent of the load, and can result in depletion of the battery even though the adapter is not powering any other device.
Another type of problem has been noticed where the device to be powered is a computer or other scientific device that is sensitive to variations in its power supply. If the battery is not fully charged initially, or discharges through use to a lower terminal voltage, the battery adapter may not be capable of coping with such a range of input voltages. In such cases, the output of the battery adapter may deviate from the desired voltage, or may cease altogether. Either outcome can have serious consequences for the apparatus being powered. For example, a computer may operate erratically when its supply voltage decreases, and the computer may lose valuable data when the supply power ceases without warning.
In another type of situation, the device being powered may require an amount of power that varies considerably with respect to time. For example, some computers require a large initial power surge as the various disk drives and monitors are all turned on initially. Some prior art adapters could not provide the required initial current surge.
As will be seen below, the battery adapter of the present invention avoids the aforementioned problems of prior art battery adapters.